Magic Wormhole vs XBackBone
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted file sync & storage options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
XBackBone
Lightweight file manager with full ShareX support
| Feature | Magic Wormhole | XBackBone |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 96 · Excellent | 83 · Excellent |
| Category | File Sync & Storage | File Sync & Storage |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 32 MB | 50 MB |
| Deployment | binary | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 22,946 | ★ 1,169 |
| First released | 2016 | 2023 |
| Replaces | WeTransfer, AirDrop | WeTransfer |
What are Magic Wormhole and XBackBone?
Magic Wormhole
Magic Wormhole is a library and CLI tool for securely transferring files and directories between computers. It uses short human-pronounceable codes and PAKE encryption for safe transfers.
- PAKE-based encryption
- Human-readable transfer codes
- Self-hostable relay and mailbox
XBackBone
Lightweight file manager with full ShareX support.
Magic Wormhole vs XBackBone: key differences
Magic Wormhole is written in Python, while XBackBone is built with PHP. Licensing differs — MIT for Magic Wormhole versus AGPL-3.0 for XBackBone. Magic Wormhole is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 50 MB for XBackBone. Magic Wormhole is the more established project (first released 2016), while XBackBone arrived in 2023. Magic Wormhole has the considerably larger community, at 22,946 GitHub stars versus 1,169.
Why pick each one
Choose Magic Wormhole if…
- Dead-simple pairing codes
- End-to-end encrypted
- No account needed
Watch out for
- Terminal-based workflow
- Both ends online simultaneously
Choose XBackBone if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (1.2k GitHub stars)
- Written in PHP
Frequently asked questions
Is Magic Wormhole or XBackBone better?
Neither is universally better. Magic Wormhole has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Magic Wormhole and XBackBone free and open-source?
Yes. Magic Wormhole is licensed under MIT and XBackBone under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Magic Wormhole and XBackBone with Docker?
Magic Wormhole: check the project docs for container support. XBackBone: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Magic Wormhole or XBackBone?
Magic Wormhole has the smaller minimum footprint at 32 MB of RAM, compared to about 50 MB for XBackBone. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.